D8'13-14 Cdptiak W NHL Preview

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWNStats guru Neil Greenberg's previewsand predictions for the realigned NHL in 2013-14:

EASTERNCONFERENCE

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Atlantic DivisionBoston's offense couldsee an improvement overlast year (Jarome Iginlaand Loui Eriksson willreplace Tyler Seguin,JaromirJagr, RichPeverley and AndrewFerence) and willcomplement a defensecomprised of young blue-liners and netminderTuukka Rask, who has a.929 regular season savepercentage in each of thepast two years and is adark horse for the VezinaTrophy, awarded to theleague's best goalie.

Predicted finishTEAM

Bruins

Senators

Canadiens

Red Wings

Lightning

Maple Leafs

Sabres

Panthers

PTS

,97

96

95

93

92

88

86

80

WESTERNCONFERENCE

THE ASSOCIATED PR ESS

Central DivisionReigning Stanley Cup 'champion Chicago willface some stiffcompetition from St Louisfor divisional supremacy,but it will be hard to betagainst the only team inthe salary cap era tohave won the Cup twice.The Blackhawks are wellcoached by JoelQuenneville, have plentyof star power in their topsix (Jonathan Toews,Patrick Kane andPatrick Sharp) and arealways one of the toppuck-possession teamsin the NHL (more than 53percent of even-strengthshots in their favor overthe past three seasons).

Predicted finishTEAM

Blackhawks

Blues

Stars

Avalanche

Jets

Predators

Wild

PTS

97

96

92

88

88

87

83

iTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Metropolitan DivisionA divisional title forPittsburgh will be tougherthan it looks, especiallywith Marc-Andre Fleury,who had a .910 savepercentage on the roadlast year in net. Still, withCoach Dan Bylsma behindthe bench and forwardsSidney Crosby andEvgeni Malkin on the ice,this is still the team tobeat in the division and inthe East.

Predicted finishTEAM

Penguins

Rangers

Flyers

Capitals

Islanders

Hurricanes

Blue Jackets

Devils

PTS

98

97

94

94

91

91

90

89

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pacific DivisionIf there is a team that canunseat Chicago as Cupchamps, it is Los Angeles.Ignoring special-teamsplay and lead-protectingsituations, the Kings hadpossession of the puck57.3 percent of the timelast season, the highestpercentage in the league.Expect great goaltendingfrom Jonathan Quick anda bounce-back seasonfrom Anze Kopitar tofuel a Pacific Division titleand deep playoff run.

Predicted finishTEAM

Kings

Coyotes

Sharks

Oilers

Ducks

Canucks

Flames

PTS

95

91

91

91

90

89

83

Neil Greenberg, when he isn't watching the games, analyzesadvanced statistics in the NHL and prefers to be called a geekrather than a nerd. Follow him on Twitter: @ngreenberg.

2013-14 PLAYOFF FORMATRealignment brought a new playoff format to the NHL. Under thenew arrangement, the top three teams in each division qualify forthe playoffs, but determining the remaining postseason berthsgets a little more complicated. The remainingspots, which the NHLcalls wild-card teams, will go to the two next highest-placedfinishers in each conference, regardless of division.Seeding and matchups: In each conference, the division winnerwith the most points in the regular season will face the wild-cardteam with the least regular season points in the first round of theplayoffs, while the other division winner will play the wild-card teamwith the second fewest. The second- and third-place finishers ineach division face each other in the first round.

— Katie Carrera